The present invention relates generally to computer or data networks and communication systems, and more specifically to a method for sending an information package from one computer or data network to another computer or data network through a communication network such as an SDH or SONET network, including a virtual ethernet mac switching.
Technology relevant to the present invention has been described in publications such as U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0138628, U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0146026, U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0138628, U.S. Pat. No. 2002/0085543 and GB 2,375,023. Reference is made to the above mentioned patents and the U.S. publications and are hereby incorporated by reference.
Computer networks in companies or large corporations having more than one physical location are often required to exchange information. This exchange of information may be carried out by use of computer networks communicating by using data links through networks such as telephone networks or data networks. These links may be obtained by means of wireless connections, either optical or microwave, especially if the locations are in close vicinity, alternatively a dedicated line, such as a telephone line or data line, may be used, further alternatively a connection via a service provider may be used to obtain the connection between company local area networks.
Presently the communications protocol predominantly used in Local Area Networks (LAN) is Ethernet. Ethernet is specified in IEEE 802.3.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have defined a protocol named Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). By definition, MPLS supports multiple protocols. At the Network Layer MPLS supports IPv6, IPv4, IPX and AppleTalk. At the Link Layer MPLS supports Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, ATM, Frame Relay, and Point-to-Point Links. It can essentially work with any control protocol other than IP and layer on top of any link layer protocol.